The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) training vessel Itsukushima (PL-23) called at Manila from July 16-20, marking the final overseas port of call of its 89-day Global Ocean Training Voyage for fiscal year 2026 before returning to Japan. The four-day visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines, reflecting the two countries’ expanding maritime partnership.
Author: Zarah Ysabel Tortocion
Defence and Politics Correspondent, SEA Daily
Laos Adopts 2027-2030 Rural Development Agenda, Reforms Treasury Rules to Fund It
The First Extraordinary Session on the 10th Lao National Assembly concluded its five-day session from July 6 to 10 with adoption of the 2027-2030 National Agenda on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, alongside the approval of adjacent fiscal measures by near-unanimous vote. The Agenda sets out what Vientiane intends to deliver to the countryside by 2030, while the two finance laws govern the framework that will have to pay for it.
Vietnam Launches Military Standards Campaign, Targets Self-Reliability and Defence Export
On July 15, Vietnam’s Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality under the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) launched a five-year campaign to strengthen military standards and quality management, underpinning Hanoi’s push for a self-reliant defence industry by 2030 and its stated ambition to build and eventually export its own platforms.
Myanmar Foreign Minister Makes First ASEAN Appearance Since 2021 Coup, Pitches Government Priorities
On July 12, Myanmar’s Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, U Tin Maung, presented his government’s priorities on stability, security and development agenda during the informal ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, amid continuing regional concern over the country’s continuing domestic instability.
The West Philippine Sea Must Not Become ASEAN’s Testing Ground for Unchecked Autonomy
When Chinese water cannons shattered the cockpit windscreen of a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel and injured crew members in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the incident was reported as another act of maritime harassment. But what made this confrontation different was not just the violence, it was the technology.